Single access surgical robotic devices and systems, and methods of configuring single access surgical robotic devices and systems

ABSTRACT

Example embodiments relate to devices, systems, and methods for performing a surgical action. The device may comprise a port assembly, a camera arm assembly, and an instrument arm assembly. The port assembly comprises an access port and a plurality of anchoring portions. The camera arm assembly comprises at least one camera at a distal end and is configurable to insert into the access port and attach to one of the anchoring portions. The instrument arm assembly comprises a serial arrangement including a plurality of arm segments, a plurality of joint portions, and at least one end instrument attached to one of the arm segments by an instrument joint portion at a distal end. Each joint portion is configurable to provide an attached arm segment with at least one degree of freedom. Furthermore, the instrument joint portion is configurable to provide the end instrument with at least one degree of freedom.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/982,717, filed on Apr. 22, 2014, which application is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to surgical systems, devices,and methods, and more specifically, relates to systems and devices foruse in performing Minimally Invasive Surgical (MIS) procedures, andmethods of configuring such surgical systems and devices.

With the advancement of medical science and technology, mostconventional open surgical procedures, which require large incisions toa patient in order to view and access inside the body cavity of thepatient, have been largely replaced with MIS procedures.Computer-assisted and/or robotic surgical technology has contributed toadvancements in MIS so as to translate a surgeon's desired actions,including movements of the surgeon's fingers and hands, into movementsof laparoscopic instruments inside the body cavity of a patient.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Despite recent developments in modern medical science, it is recognizedin the present disclosure that one or more problems are encountered inmodern surgical technology and methodology, including MIS. For example,a typical MIS procedure requires multiple incisions to a patient inorder to allow access via the incisions for the insertion of a cameraand various other laparoscopic instruments into the body cavity of thepatient.

As another example, it is recognized in the present disclosure thatsurgical robotic devices, including surgical robotic arms, oftentimesencounter difficulties during surgical procedures due to insufficientanchoring and/or reactive forces to stabilize against forces that aredesired and/or necessary to be applied during surgical actions.

It is also recognized in the present disclosure that surgical roboticsystems face difficulties in providing an instrument, such as a cuttingor gripping instrument attached to the end of a surgical robotic arm,with access to all or even most parts, areas, and/or quadrants ofabdominal cavity of a patient. That is, after the surgical robotic armis inserted in the abdominal cavity of the patient and ready to performa surgical action, the instrument attached to the end of the surgicalrobotic arm is typically limited to access only certain parts, areas,and quadrants of the abdominal cavity of the patient.

In yet another example of a problem encountered by surgical roboticsystems, surgical robotic systems typically provide only between one totwo surgical robotic arms per access or opening (such as an incision ora natural orifice) of the patient. In this regard, one or moreadditional incisions will be required for the insertion of a camera andvarious laparoscopic instruments into the abdominal cavity of thepatient.

Present example embodiments relate generally to systems, devices, andmethods for addressing one or more problems in surgical robotic systems,devices, and methods, including those described above and herein.

In an exemplary embodiment, a surgical robotic device is described inthe present disclosure comprising a port assembly, a camera armassembly, and an instrument arm assembly. The port assembly comprises anaccess port and a plurality of anchoring portions. The camera armassembly comprises at least one camera at a distal end and the cameraarm assembly is configurable to insert into the access port and attachto one of the anchoring portions. The instrument arm assembly comprisesa serial arrangement including a plurality of arm segments, a pluralityof joint portions, and at least one end instrument attached to one ofthe arm segments by an instrument joint portion at a distal end. Eachjoint portion is configurable to provide an attached arm segment with atleast one degree of freedom. Furthermore, the instrument joint portionis configurable to provide the end instrument with at least one degreeof freedom. Furthermore, the instrument arm assembly is configurable toprovide at least seven in vivo degrees of freedom. Furthermore, theinstrument arm assembly is configurable to insert into the access portand attach to one of the anchoring portions.

In another exemplary embodiment, a surgical device is described in thepresent disclosure comprising a port assembly, an instrument armassembly, and a camera arm assembly. The port assembly comprises anouter body and an inner body. The outer body comprises a first accessport, a first end, a second end, and a plurality of anchoring portions.The first end is fixably positionable in at least a portion of anopening of a patient in one of a plurality of positions. The second endis operable to attach to an external anchor. The inner body is fixablypositionable in the first access port to form a second access port. Theinstrument arm assembly is configurable in a serial arrangementincluding a plurality of arm segments, a plurality of joint portions,and at least one end instrument attached to one of the arm segments byan instrument joint portion at a distal end. The instrument arm assemblyis configurable to attach to one of the anchoring portions. The cameraarm assembly comprises at least one camera at a distal end, and thecamera arm assembly is configurable to attach to one of the anchoringportions. The port assembly is configurable to provide at least onedegree of freedom. The port assembly is configurable to allow aninsertion of the instrument arm assembly and the camera arm assemblyinto the abdominal cavity of a patient via the first access port.Furthermore, the port assembly is configurable to allow an insertion ofequipment into the abdominal cavity of the patient via the second accessport when the surgical device is in operation.

In another exemplary embodiment, a method for configuring a surgicaldevice for performing a surgical action in the abdominal cavity of apatient is described in the present disclosure. The method comprisesproviding an external anchor and a port assembly having an outer bodymember and an inner body member. The method further comprises providinga camera arm assembly, the camera arm assembly having a serialarrangement including a plurality of camera arm segments, a plurality ofcamera joint portions, and at least one camera attached to one of thecamera arm segments. In this regard, each camera joint portion isconfigurable to provide an attached camera arm segment with at least onedegree of freedom. The method further comprises providing a plurality ofinstrument arm assemblies, each instrument arm assembly having a serialarrangement including a plurality of arm segments, a plurality of jointportions, and at least one end instrument attached to one of the armsegments at a distal end. In this regard, each joint portion isconfigurable to provide an attached arm segment with at least twodegrees of freedom. The method further comprises positioning the outerbody member in at least a portion of an opening of a patient in one of aplurality of positions using the external anchor. The method furthercomprises inserting the camera arm assembly into the abdominal cavity ofthe patient via a first port of the outer body member, and dynamicallyconfiguring one or more of the camera joint portions in such a way as toprevent a portion of the camera arm assembly from contacting with theinner wall of the abdominal cavity of the patient and to provide a clearpassageway into the abdominal cavity of the patient via the first port.The method further comprises attaching the camera arm assembly to theouter body member. The method further comprises inserting one of theinstrument arm assemblies into the abdominal cavity of the patient viathe first port of the outer body member, and dynamically configuring oneor more of the joint portions in such a way as to prevent a portion ofthe instrument arm assembly from contacting with the inner wall of theabdominal cavity of the patient and to provide a clear passageway intothe abdominal cavity of the patient via the first port. The methodfurther comprises attaching the inserted instrument arm assembly to theouter body member. The method further comprises repeating the insertingand dynamic configuring of the instrument arm assembly for one or moreother instrument arm assemblies. The method further comprises securingthe inner body member into the first port of the outer body member toform a second port. The method further comprises inserting one or moresurgical equipment into the second port.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, exampleembodiments, and their advantages, reference is now made to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a perspective view of an example embodimentof a surgical device configured with one port assembly, one instrumentarm assembly, and one camera arm assembly;

FIG. 2A is illustration of a perspective view of an example embodimentof an external anchor;

FIG. 2B is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of an external anchor attached to an example embodiment of aport assembly;

FIG. 3A is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device configured with one port assembly, twoinstrument arm assemblies, and one camera arm assembly;

FIG. 3B is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device configured with one port assembly, twoinstrument arm assemblies, and one camera arm assembly;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a perspective view of an example embodimentof a surgical device configured with one port assembly, two instrumentarm assemblies, one camera arm assembly, and one instrument armassembly;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a perspective view of an example embodimentof a surgical device configured with one port assembly, two instrumentarm assemblies, one camera arm assembly, one instrument arm assembly,and one instrument;

FIG. 6A is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a port assembly;

FIG. 6B is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a port assembly;

FIG. 6C is an illustration of a perspective view of another exampleembodiment of a port assembly;

FIG. 6D is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a port assembly;

FIG. 6E is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a port assembly positionable in one of a plurality ofpositions (and orientations);

FIG. 6F is an illustration of a perspective view and a cross sectionalview of an example embodiment of a port assembly in an engaged positionand having flaps, receiving sections for receiving securing pins, andspring locks provided on each flap;

FIG. 6G is another illustration of a perspective view and a crosssectional view of an example embodiment of a port assembly in atransitionable position and having flaps, receiving sections forreceiving securing pins, and spring locks provided on each flap;

FIG. 6H is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a port assembly having an air shutter;

FIG. 6I is an illustration of a perspective view of another exampleembodiment of a port assembly having an air shutter;

FIG. 6J is an illustration of a cross sectional view of an exampleembodiment of a spring lock engaged in a locked position;

FIG. 6K is an illustration of a cross sectional view of an exampleembodiment of a spring lock engaged in an unlocked position;

FIG. 6L is an illustration of a cross sectional view and perspectiveview of a spring lock engaging portion of an arm assembly for use inengaging a corresponding spring lock;

FIG. 7A is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of an instrument arm assembly;

FIG. 7B is an illustration of a perspective view of another exampleembodiment of an instrument arm assembly;

FIG. 7C is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of an instrument arm assembly with an instrument anchoringportion;

FIG. 7D is an illustration of a top view of an example embodiment of aninstrument anchoring portion of an instrument arm assembly anchored toan interior of a port assembly, along with cabling provided between theinstrument anchoring portion and the port assembly;

FIG. 7E is an example illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of an instrument arm assembly positioned in an engagedposition, an instrument arm assembly being transitioned, and aninstrument arm assembly positioned in a transitionable position;

FIG. 8A is an illustration of two perspective views of an exampleembodiment of a camera arm assembly;

FIG. 8B is an illustration of a perspective view of another exampleembodiment of a camera arm assembly;

FIG. 8C is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a camera arm assembly with a camera anchoring portion anda camera anchoring portion only;

FIG. 8D is an illustration of a top view of an example embodiment of acamera anchoring portion of a camera arm assembly anchored to aninterior of a port assembly, along with cabling provided between thecamera anchoring portion and the port assembly;

FIG. 8E is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a camera arm assembly positioned in an engaged position, acamera arm assembly being transitioned, and a camera arm assemblypositioned in a transitionable position;

FIG. 8F is an illustration of a cross sectional view of a camera armassembly having an internal temperature control assembly;

FIG. 8G is an illustration of perspective views of a camera arm assemblyhaving internal temperature control assemblies;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for configuring asurgical device;

FIG. 10A is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device being configured with a camera armassembly;

FIG. 10B is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device being configured with a camera armassembly;

FIG. 10C is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device being configured with a camera armassembly;

FIG. 10D is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device being configured with a camera armassembly;

FIG. 11A is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device being configured with an instrument armassembly;

FIG. 11B is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device being configured with an instrument armassembly;

FIG. 11C is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device being configured with an instrument armassembly;

FIG. 11D is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device being configured with an instrument armassembly;

FIG. 11E is another illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device being configured with an instrument armassembly;

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of a surgical device system; and

FIG. 13 is an illustration of a perspective view of an exampleembodiment of an external anchor.

Although similar reference numbers may be used to refer to similarelements in the figures for convenience, it can be appreciated that eachof the various example embodiments may be considered to be distinctvariations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of the present disclosure, andwhich illustrate example embodiments which may be practiced. As used inthe present disclosure and the appended claims, the terms “exampleembodiment,” “exemplary embodiment,” and “present embodiment” do notnecessarily refer to a single embodiment, although they may, and variousexample embodiments may be readily combined and/or interchanged withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of example embodiments. Furthermore,the terminology as used in the present disclosure and the appendedclaims is for the purpose of describing example embodiments only and isnot intended to be limitations. In this respect, as used in the presentdisclosure and the appended claims, the term “in” may include “in” and“on,” and the terms “a,” “an” and “the” may include singular and pluralreferences. Furthermore, as used in the present disclosure and theappended claims, the term “by” may also mean “from,” depending on thecontext. Furthermore, as used in the present disclosure and the appendedclaims, the term “if” may also mean “when” or “upon,” depending on thecontext. Furthermore, as used in the present disclosure and the appendedclaims, the words “and/or” may refer to and encompass any and allpossible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It is recognized in the present disclosure that, despite recentdevelopments in medical science and technology, one or more problems areencountered in surgical technology and methodology, including MIS. Forexample, a typical MIS procedure requires multiple incisions or a singleincision of up to 35 mm each to a patient in order to allow access forthe insertion of a camera and various other laparoscopic instrumentsinto the abdominal cavity of the patient. It is recognized in thepresent disclosure that such rather large and multiple incisions imposeseveral in-surgery and post-surgery disadvantages, undesirableconsequences, and/or complications to the patient, including excessiveblood loss, large and multiple wound/scar sizes, and longer healingtimes, thereby necessitating longer hospitalization periods.

In addition to the aforementioned disadvantages pertaining to themultiple and rather large incisions, it is recognized in the presentdisclosure that surgical robotic systems, including surgical roboticarms (and those instruments attached to them), developed for performingrobotic-assisted MIS surgical procedures also suffer from one or moreproblems. For example, it is recognized herein that a major technicalchallenge for a surgical robotic system is the difficulty in providingsufficient anchoring and/or reactive forces to stabilize against forcesthat are desired and/or necessary to be applied to the patient by thesurgical robotic system during a surgical action. In this regard,certain surgical actions for known surgical robotic systems may requiretremendous effort and time, and may not be performed properly or at allas a result of the problem of insufficient anchoring and/or reactiveforces.

Another example of a problem recognized in the present disclosure asbeing encountered by surgical robotic systems is the difficulty inproviding an instrument, such as a cutting and/or gripping instrumentattached to the end of a surgical robotic arm, with access to all oreven most parts, areas, and quadrants of an abdominal cavity of apatient after the surgical robotic system has been set up (or installed)and is ready to perform a surgery. That is, after the surgical roboticarm of the system has been inserted, attached, and properly set up inthe abdominal cavity of the patient and is ready to perform a surgicalaction, the instrument attached to the end of the surgical robotic armis typically limited to access only certain parts, areas, and quadrantsof the abdominal cavity of the patient. It is recognized in the presentdisclosure that such problems result in large from the limited number ofpossible degrees of freedom that can be provided by known surgicalrobotic systems and arms, and more specifically, the limited number ofin vivo degrees of freedom (i.e. the degrees of freedom provided withinan abdominal cavity of a patient) of known surgical robotic systems andarms. In this regard, surgical robotic systems typically provide onlybetween 2 to 4 in vivo degrees of freedom for each surgical robotic arm.

Recent developments to surgical robotic systems attempt to solve theaforementioned problem by providing an additional in vitro degree offreedom (i.e. the degree of freedom provided from outside the body of apatient). It is recognized in the present disclosure, however, that suchrecent developments still do not sufficiently address the difficultiesin providing an instrument attached to the end of a surgical robotic armwith access to all parts, areas, and/or quadrants of the abdominalcavity of the patient after the surgical robotic system has been set upand is ready to perform a surgical action in the abdominal cavity of thepatient.

As another example, surgical robotic systems typically only provide forbetween one to two surgical robotic arms per access or opening (such asan incision or a natural orifice) of the patient. In this regard, whenadditional laparoscopic instruments, such as another surgical roboticarm, a suction tube, and/or a camera, are required to be inserted intothe abdominal cavity of the patient, one or more additional openings(incisions) are required for the patient.

In respect to surgical robotic arms, surgical teams often encounterdifficulties with properly inserting and removing surgical robotic armsinto and out of a body cavity of the patient. Specifically, sincesurgical robotic arms generally have at least one joint and two armsegments, the insertion of a surgical robotic arm into the body cavityoftentimes results in a portion of the surgical robotic arm (such as theend connected to an instrument, such as a cutting tool) coming intocontact with and damaging patient tissue. Likewise, the removal of asurgical robotic arm from the body cavity oftentimes results in aportion of the surgical robotic arm coming into contact with anddamaging patient tissue. This problem becomes compounded when a surgicalprocedure or system attempts to employ more than one surgical roboticarm through a single port.

It is also recognized in the present disclosure that surgical roboticsystems oftentimes face problems in respect to the heating up of one ormore components during a surgical action, such as the heating up oflaparoscopic optics (such as a camera), lighting elements, and othercomponents. For example, the increased temperature of such componentsmay possibly impose in-surgery and/or post-surgery damage orcomplications to patient tissues that come into contact with suchcomponents.

In yet another example problem, surgical procedures and systemsoftentimes encounter problems with providing and maintaining sufficientinsufflation of a body cavity (such as an abdominal cavity) throughout asurgical procedure.

Another example problem encountered by surgical procedures and systemspertains to the tendency for laparoscopic optics (such as a lens of acamera) and/or lighting elements to encounter contamination and/orpartial or complete blockage during a surgical procedure due to fogging,tissue debris, liquids (such as blood), and/or other particlesaccumulated before, during, and/or after insertion of such componentsinto the body cavity. In this regard, visibility within a body cavityvia such laparoscopic optics and lighting elements may become reduced,deteriorated, or even completely blocked as a result.

Surgical systems, devices, and methods, including those for use inrobotic MIS, are described in the present disclosure for addressing oneor more problems of known surgical systems, devices, and methods,including those described above and in the present disclosure. It is tobe understood that the principles described in the present disclosurecan be applied outside of the context of MIS and/or laparoscopicsurgery, such as performing scientific experiments and/or procedures inenvironments that are not readily accessible by humans, including in avacuum, in outer space, and/or under toxic and/or dangerous conditions,without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

The Surgical System (e.g., Surgical Device 100)

An illustration of an example embodiment of a surgical device 100operable to be inserted into an abdominal cavity of a patient through asingle access or opening (such as single umbilical incision or a naturalorifice, hereinafter referred to as an “opening”) of the patient andanchored in or about the same opening is depicted in FIG. 1. Thesurgical device 100 may comprise a port assembly 110, an instrument armassembly 130, and a camera arm assembly 120.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the surgical device 100 may beprovided with an external anchor 200 attachable to the port assembly110. The external anchor 200 may comprise a configurable assembly ofsegments 202, 206, 210, and 214 in communication with one another viajoints or connecting portions 204, 208, and 212, and external anchorconnector 216. The external anchor 200 may be operable to securely fixthe position and/or orientation (hereinafter “position”) of the portassembly 110 in or about the single opening of the patient, and may alsobe operable to provide sufficient anchoring and/or reactive forces tostabilize against forces desired and/or necessary to be applied by atleast one or more instruments of the surgical device 100, including theinstrument arm assembly 130, during a surgical action or procedure. Theexternal anchor 200, including the controllable swivel assembly 1300 (asillustrated in FIG. 13), may also be operable to cooperate with the portassembly 110 to provide one or more in vitro degrees of freedom. Inexample embodiments, the one or more in vitro degrees of freedom mayinclude a torsional movement, pivotal movement, and/or other movementsof the port assembly 110 relative to the external anchor 200. Forexample, a torsional movement of the port assembly 110, as illustratedby arrow A in FIG. 2B, may allow one or more attached instruments,including an instrument arm assembly 130, to re-position during asurgical procedure (i.e. after set up or installation) so as to accessother parts, areas, and/or all quadrants of the abdominal cavity of thepatient. As another example, a pivotal movement of the port assembly110, as illustrated by arrow B in FIG. 2B, may allow the port assembly110 to be positioned in one of a plurality of angles with respect toopening of the patient, and may also allow attached instruments,including the instrument arm assembly 130, to re-position during asurgical procedure (i.e. after set up or installation) so as to accessdistal areas of the abdominal cavity of the patient. The other jointportions of the external anchor 200 may also be operable to cooperateand/or assist in desired movements of the port assembly 110. Theexternal anchor 200 may be anchored to one or more stationary objects,such as a side rail 300 of a surgical table/bed illustrated in FIG. 2A.FIG. 13 illustrates other example movements that provide for additionalin vitro degrees of freedom via an example embodiment of thecontrollable swivel assembly 1300. The controllable swivel assembly 1300will be further described below in the section “(1) Providing theexternal anchor and installing the outer body of the port assembly(e.g., actions 901 and 902).”

The surgical device 100 may further comprise one or more additionalinstrument arm assemblies, such as second instrument arm assembly 140illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, attachable to the port assembly 110. Oneor more of the instrument arm assemblies, including a first instrumentarm assembly 130, a second instrument arm assembly 140, a thirdinstrument arm assembly (not shown), a fourth instrument arm assembly(not shown), etc., may be attachable to the port assembly 110 andoperable to access and perform one or more surgical actions on any andall parts, areas, and/or quadrants within the abdominal cavity of thepatient, including a far or distal end of the cavity, as illustrated inFIG. 3A, and directly below the opening of the patient, as illustratedin FIG. 3B. The surgical device 100 may also comprise one or moreadditional camera arm assemblies (not shown). The surgical device 100may further comprise one or more assistant arm assemblies, such asassistant arm assembly 150 illustrated in FIG. 4. Furthermore, thesurgical device 100 may comprise another laparoscopic instrument 160,such as a suction instrument, as illustrated in FIG. 5, that can beinserted into the abdominal cavity of the patient before, during, and/orafter performing a surgical action or procedure. It is to be understoodin the present disclosure that the surgical device 100 may beconfigurable in a plurality of configurations and arrangements,including having more or less than two instrument arm assemblies (suchas third, fourth, fifth, etc. instrument arm assemblies), more than onecamera arm assembly (such as second, third, etc. camera arm assemblies),more or less than one assistant arm assembly (such as second, third,etc. assistant arm assemblies), and/or more or less than onelaparoscopic tool (such as a second suction tube) in example embodimentswithout departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

The Port Assembly (e.g., 110)

An illustration of an example embodiment of the port assembly 110 isillustrated in FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, and FIG. 6H, and another illustrationof an example embodiment of the port assembly 110 is illustrated in FIG.6C, FIG. 6D, FIG. 6F, FIG. 6G, and FIG. 6I. The port assembly 110 may beconfigurable to be inserted in or about a single opening of the patientand fixed in position and/or orientation (hereinafter “position”) by atleast the external anchor 200. The port assembly 110 may comprise anouter body 112, an inner body 114 configurable to be inserted into andattached to the outer body 112 (as illustrated in FIG. 6A and as furtherexplained below), and one or more anchoring portions 116. The outer body112 may comprise a first access port 112 a operable to receive the innerbody 114 (as illustrated in FIG. 6B), a first end 112 c insertable in orabout the opening of the patient, and a second end 112 b attachable tothe external anchor connector 216 of the external anchor 200. In anexample embodiment, the first end 112 c of the outer body 112 may befixed in position in at least a portion of the opening of the patientand at an angle θ of between about 0 to +/−90 degrees, as illustrated inFIG. 6E.

The port assembly 110 may further comprise an air shutter 114 a′, asillustrated in FIGS. 6H and 6I. The air shutter 114 a′ may be anymechanism transitionable between an opened position (which allows accessinto and out of the second access port 114 a (and/or first access port112 a)) and a closed position. The air shutter 114 a′ may also betransitionable to a partially opened (and/or closed) position in exampleembodiments. For example, the air shutter 114 a′ may comprise fourquadrant segments, as illustrated in FIGS. 6H and 6I, such as in exampleembodiments when the air shutter 114 a′ is provided in a circular orelliptical shape. It is to be understood in the present disclosure thatthe air shutter 114 a′ may be provided in other shapes and/or forms, andmay comprise other quantities and/or shapes of segments, such as two,three, or more, without departing from the teachings of the presentdisclosure. It is recognized in the present disclosure that, when anabdominal cavity of a patient is insufflated with gases so as to allow asurgical procedure to be performed, the air shutter 114 a′ in the closedposition may be operable to substantially control or minimize such gases(i.e., seal) from exiting the second access port 114 a (and/or the firstaccess port 112 a) so as to substantially maintain the insufflationprovided in the body cavity. In example embodiments, an air shutter 114a′ may be provided on the outer body 112, the inner body 114, or theouter body 112 and the inner body 114.

Prior to the insertion of the inner body 114 into the first access port112 a of the outer body 112 (as illustrated in FIG. 6B), the firstaccess port 112 a may be operable to provide an access port (i.e. apassageway) to allow an insertion of one or more instruments, such asone or more instrument arm assemblies, one or more camera armassemblies, and/or one or more assistant arm assemblies. For example,after the outer body 112 has been inserted and fixed in position in orabout the opening of the patient, the first access port 112 a may beoperable to allow one or more instruments to be inserted and passedthrough the outer body 112 and into the abdominal cavity of the patient.Before, during, or after the insertion of each instrument into the firstaccess port 112 a, the inserted instruments may be attached to the portassembly 110 via one or more of the anchoring portions 116. It is to beunderstood in the present disclosure that, after the attaching (oranchoring) of an anchoring portion of an inserted instrument (such as120 a, 130 a) to one of the anchoring portions 116 of the port assembly110, the anchoring portion of the already inserted instrument (such as120 a, 130 a) may in turn be operable to function as an anchoringportion of the port assembly 110 by enabling an anchoring portion of asubsequent inserted instrument (such as 120 a, 130 a) to attach (oranchor) to the anchoring portion of the already inserted instrument(such as 120 a, 130 a). It is recognized in the present disclosure thatsuch a configuration may enable additional arm assemblies, such ascamera arm assemblies, instrument arm assemblies, and/or assistant armassemblies to be inserted, as needed, after the number of anchoringportions 116 of the port assembly 110 has been fully occupied.

After the insertion of the inner body 114 into the first access port 112a of the outer body 112 (as illustrated in FIG. 6A) and the attachmentof the inner body 114 to the outer body 112, such as via one or more ofthe anchoring portions 116 or an anchoring portion of an alreadyinserted instrument (such as 120 a, 130 a), the first access port 112 amay be considered as being replaced by second access port 114 a of theinner body 114 in example embodiments. The inner body 114 may beoperable to assist with, support, and/or ensure the attachment ofinserted instrument(s), including one or more instrument arm assemblies,camera arm assemblies, and/or assistant arm assemblies. The inner body114 may also be operable to isolate or protect one or more attachment oranchoring portions of the inserted instrument(s), such as the instrumentanchoring portion 130 a of the instrument arm assembly 130 and/or thecamera arm anchoring portion 120 a of the camera arm assembly 120.Furthermore, the inner body 114 may be operable to provide an accessport (i.e. a passageway) via the second access port 114 a so as to allowaccess to the abdominal cavity of the patient, including allowing theinsertion of additional instruments such as instrument 160.

In an example embodiment, the first access port 112 a, the second accessport 114 a, the outer body 112, and/or the inner body 114 may besubstantially cylindrical in shape, as illustrated in at least FIGS.6A-E. The first access port 112 a, the second access port 114 a, theouter body 112, and/or the inner body 114 may also be formed in any oneof a plurality of other shapes, sizes, and/or dimensions withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present disclosure.

In an example embodiment, an outer diameter of the outer body 112(between first end 112 c and second end 112 b) may between about 21 to22 mm, an inner diameter of the outer body 112 may be between about 16.5to 21 mm, an outer diameter of the inner body 114 may be between about16 to 18 mm, and an inner diameter of the inner body 114 may be betweenabout 15 to 17 mm. In example embodiments, the outer diameter of theouter body 112 (between first end 112 c and second end 112 b) may beabout 22 mm, the inner diameter of the outer body 112 may be about 18 to19 mm, the outer diameter of the inner body 114 may be about 17.5 to 18mm, and the inner diameter of the inner body 114 may be about 16.5 to 17mm. The second end 112 b may include a flange portion for, among otherthings, housing one or more of the anchoring portions 116 and attachingan air shutter 114 a′ (if provided for the outer body 112) in exampleembodiments, and the flange portion may have a diameter of about 30-34mm and a height of about 5 to 10 mm. The overall height of the outerbody 112 may be about 80-110 mm and the overall height of the inner body114 may be about 80-140 mm. It is to be understood in the presentdisclosure that the above dimensions are merely an illustration ofexample embodiments, and as such the dimensions may be smaller or largerthan those recited above without departing from the teachings of thepresent disclosure.

The port assembly 110, including the outer body 112, the inner body 114,the surface forming the first access port 112 a, the surface forming thesecond access port 114 a, and/or the anchoring portion 116, may beformed using any one or more of a plurality of materials, such assurgical-grade metals, high-strength aluminum alloys, stainless steel(such as 304/304L, 316/316L, and 420), pure titanium, titanium alloys(such as Ti6Al4V, NiTi), and cobalt-chromium alloys. The air shutter 114a′ for the inner body 114 and/or outer body 112 may be formed using anyone or more of a plurality of materials, such as bio-compatiblematerials (such as silicone rubber and polyurethane). It is to beunderstood in the present disclosure that other materials may also beused without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. Itis to be understood in the present disclosure that the above materialsare merely an illustration of example embodiments, and these and othermaterials and compositions may be used without departing from theteachings of the present disclosure.

In example embodiments, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 6C, 6D, 6F,6G, and 6I, the port assembly 110 may further comprise one or more flapsections 116 a, or the like. The flaps 116 a may provide or assist inproviding similar or substantially the same functionality as theanchoring portion 116 described above, including the anchoringfunctionality of the anchoring portion 116 in example embodiments.Specifically, the one or more flaps 116 a may be operable to provide orassist in providing anchoring (or securing or locking) of one or morearm assemblies, such as a camera arm assembly, instrument arm assembly,and/or assistant arm assembly, to the port assembly 110. Although theexample embodiments in FIGS. 6C, 6D, 6F, 6G, and 6I illustrate a portassembly 110 comprising four flaps 116 a, it is to be understood in thepresent disclosure that the port assembly 110 may comprise otherquantities, shapes, and/or forms of flaps without departing from theteachings of the present disclosure. For example, the port assembly 110may comprise less than or more than four flaps in example embodiments.

The one or more flaps 116 a of the port assembly 110 may be furtheroperable to transition between an engaged position (which may be aposition wherein an arm assembly secured to the flap 116 a is ready toperform a surgical procedure, and wherein such position provides a clearpassageway of the port assembly 110 for other arm assemblies to beinserted through the port assembly 110 and into the body cavity) and/ora transitionable position (which may be a position wherein an armassembly secured to the flap 116 a is ready to be removed from orinserted into the body cavity and port assembly 110). Exampleembodiments of a flap 116 a in an engaged position and a transitionableposition are illustrated in FIGS. 6F and 6G, respectively. Supportingpins 117 may be provided for securing the one or more flaps 116 a of theport assembly 110 in the engaged position and/or transitionableposition.

An example embodiment of the flap 116 a may further comprise a springlock 116 b, as illustrated in FIG. 6F, FIG. 6G, FIG. 6J, and FIG. 6K,which may be in the form of a spring plate, or the like. The spring lock116 b may be operable to secure or lock an arm assembly, such as acamera arm assembly, instrument arm assembly, and/or assistant armassembly, to the flap 116 a when engaged in the locked position. Inexample embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 6L, each arm assembly maycomprise a corresponding spring lock engaging portion 116 b′ having acorresponding spring lock receiving portion 116 b″, or the like, forreceiving the spring lock 116 b of the flap 116 a. For example, if thearm assembly is an instrument arm assembly 130, then the instrument armassembly 130 (and/or the instrument anchoring portion 130 a of theinstrument arm assembly 130) may comprise a corresponding spring lockengaging portion 116 b′ having a spring lock receiving portion 116 b″.Similarly, if the arm assembly is a camera arm assembly 120, then thecamera arm assembly 120 (and/or the camera anchoring portion 120 a ofthe camera arm assembly 120) may comprise a corresponding spring lockengaging portion 116 b′ having a spring lock receiving portion 116 b″.

To engage in a locked position, a spring lock engaging portion 116 b′ ofan arm assembly (an example portion of which is illustrated in FIG. 6L)may be inserted into a corresponding receiving portion of a flap 116 a.This is illustrated in FIG. 6K, wherein the spring lock 116 b has notyet secured or locked the arm assembly to the flap 116 a. The armassembly will be secured or locked to the flap 116 a, as illustrated inFIG. 6J when the arm assembly is further inserted until the spring lock116 b is received by the spring lock receiving portion 116 b″ of the armassembly.

An arm assembly secured or locked to the flap 116 a in the mannerdescribed above (FIG. 6J) may be unsecured or unlocked by unlocking thespring lock 116 b from the spring lock receiving portion 116 b″ of thearm assembly. For example, a supporting pin 117, or the like, may beprovided to push, displace, or unlock at least a portion of the springlock 116 b in such a way that the spring lock 116 b is no longerreceived by the spring lock receiving portion 116 b″ of the armassembly.

The Camera Arm Assembly (e.g., 120)

In an example embodiment, the surgical device 100 may comprise one ormore camera arm assemblies, such as camera arm assembly 120,configurable to attach to the port assembly 110. One or more of thecamera arm assemblies may comprise a configurable serial (or linear)arrangement of a plurality of camera arm segments, camera jointportions, and at least one camera integrated into and/or attached to oneor more of the camera arm segments and/or camera joint portions. Asillustrated in FIG. 8A, the camera 127 may be a standard and/or highdefinition 2-dimensional (2D) and/or 3-dimensional (3D) camera operableto capture imaging, such as 2D and/or stereoscopic and/orautostereoscopic 3D imaging, including images, video, and/or audio, andprovide in real-time via wired and/or wireless communication thecaptured imaging, including images, video, and/or audio, to a computingdevice (or system) of one or more nearby and/or remotely locatedsurgical teams 1204. The computing device (or system) may comprise oneor more processors, one or more computer-human interfaces, one or moregraphical displays (such as computer screens, television screens,portable devices, wearable devices such as glasses, etc.), and/or otherdevices and/or systems, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 12.The one or more nearby and/or remotely located surgical teams 1204 maybe operable to view, hear, sense, analyze, and control (such as pan,zoom, process, adapt, mark, change resolution, etc.) the imagingdisplayed or represented on one or more standard and/or high definition2D and/or 3D graphical displays 1202, such as shown in the illustrationof FIG. 12, and/or portable and/or wearable devices adapted to receive2D and/or 3D imaging (not shown). One or more of the camera armassemblies may also comprise one or more illumination sources 129, suchas an LED, or the like, operable to illuminate or sense at least one ormore parts, sections, and/or quadrants of the abdominal cavity of thepatient, including instruments provided in the abdominal cavity of thepatient. One or more of the camera arm assemblies 120 may furthercomprise one or more internal temperature control assemblies operable tocontrol (such as reduce) the temperature of one or more components ofthe camera arm assembly 120.

As illustrated in the example embodiment of FIGS. 8A and 8B, one or moreof the camera arm assemblies 120 may comprise a first camera arm segment121, a second camera arm segment 123, and a third camera arm segment125. One or more of the camera arm assemblies 120 may also comprisecorresponding camera joint portions, such as first camera joint portion124 and second camera joint portion 126. Each camera joint portion maybe configurable, either manually and/or via the computing device (orsystem), to provide an attached camera arm segment with one or more invivo degrees of freedom when the camera arm assembly 120 is provided inthe abdominal cavity of the patient. For example, the first camera jointportion 124 may be operable to provide the second camera arm segment 123with a pivotal movement relative to the first camera joint portion 124,as illustrated by arrow A in FIG. 8A, and/or a torsional movementrelative to the first camera joint portion 124, as illustrated by arrowB in FIG. 8A. As another example, the second camera joint portion 126may be operable to provide the third camera arm 125 with a pivotalmovement relative to the second camera joint portion 126, as illustratedby arrow C in FIG. 8A, and/or a torsional movement relative to thesecond camera joint portion 126, as illustrated by arrow D in FIG. 8A.Accordingly, one or more of the camera arm assemblies 120 may beconfigurable, either manually and/or via the computing device (orsystem), to provide multiple in vivo degrees of freedom and, togetherwith the at least one in vitro degree of freedom provided by the portassembly 110, including the controllable swivel assembly 1300 (see FIG.13), the one or more of the camera arm assemblies may be configurable toprovide multiple degrees of freedom.

Each camera joint portion may comprise any one or more configurations ofgears and/or gear assemblies, including straight gear configurations,planetary gear configurations, beveled gear configurations, spiralbeveled gear configurations, hypoid gear configurations, helical gearconfigurations, worm gear configurations, and/or any other gearconfiguration without departing from the teachings of the presentdisclosure. In example embodiments, each camera arm assembly may alsocomprise one or more internal motors (not shown), or the like, operableto actuate the gears of each camera joint portion and/or the camera armsegments. In this regard, each of the above mentioned motors, camerajoint portions, and/or camera arm segments may be operable tocommunicate from and/or to the computing device (or system) of one ormore nearby and/or remotely located surgical teams 1204 via wired and/orwireless communication in example embodiments. Furthermore, each of theabovementioned motors, camera joint portions, and/or camera arm segmentsmay be operable to receive power from an external power source and/orthe computing device (or system) via wired and/or wireless transmissionsin example embodiments.

One or more internal temperature control assemblies (not shown) may beprovided for each camera arm assembly 120. Each internal temperaturecontrol assembly may be operable to control (such as reduce) thetemperature and/or heat emission of the aforementioned camera(s) 127,illumination source(s) 129, gears and/or gear assemblies, motors, camerajoint portions (such as 124 and 126), and/or camera arm segments (suchas 121, 123, and 125). In an example embodiment, the one or moreinternal temperature control assemblies may be operable to perform suchtemperature control using one or more gases, liquids, and/or solids. Forexample, the gases and/or liquids may be fed, maintained, and/orregulated using an external source via one or more tubes, or the like.The one or more tubes used to provide, regulate, and/or discharge thegases and/or liquids may have a diameter between about 0.5 mm to 3 mm inexample embodiments, but the dimensions of such tubes may also be moreor less. It is to be understood in the present disclosure that the oneor more tubes (if used), as well as any solids (if used), may beprovided through an interior of the camera arm assembly 120 withoutincreasing dimensions (such as diameter) of the camera arm assembly 120.

When the internal temperature control assembly utilizes gases, or thelike, example embodiments may also be operable to provide such gasesinto the body cavity and/or discharge or recycle such gases outside ofthe body cavity via one or more tubes, or the like. The gases maycomprise carbon dioxide, oxygen, and/or other gases in exampleembodiments. Such gases may be further operable to assist in providingand/or maintaining insufflation of the abdominal cavity, such as viaopening 128 in FIG. 8A, during a surgical procedure.

When the internal temperature control assembly utilizes liquids, or thelike, example embodiments may be operable to discharge or recycle suchliquids outside of the body cavity.

When the internal temperature control assembly utilizes solids, or thelike, such solids may possess properties that enable the surgical teamto change the temperature of the solids, such as by applying electricityor other form of energy, so as to control (such as reduce) thetemperature and/or heat emission of one or more components of the cameraarm assembly 120.

In example embodiments, the internal temperature control assembly mayutilize a combination of gases, liquids, solids, and/or the like withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present disclosure.

The camera arm assembly 120 may also comprise a camera anchoring portion120 a operable to attach (or secure) the camera arm assembly 120 to oneor more anchoring portions 116 (and/or flaps 116 a), and this may beprovided via the first camera arm segment 121. FIG. 8A illustrates anexample embodiment of a camera anchoring portion 120 a operable toattach to the anchoring portion 116 of the example embodiment of theport assembly in FIG. 6A, and FIG. 8B illustrates an example embodimentof a camera anchoring portion 120 a operable to attach to the flaps 116a of the example embodiment of the port assembly in FIG. 6C. These andother types or configurations of camera anchoring portions 120 a andanchoring portions 116 (and/or flaps 116 a) may be provided andconfigured in example embodiments without departing from the teachingsof the present disclosure.

In an example embodiment, the camera arm segments, including the firstcamera arm segment 121, the second camera arm segment 123, and/or thethird camera arm segment 125, may be substantially cylindrical in shape,as illustrated in at least FIGS. 8A and 8B. The camera arm segments,including the first camera arm segment 121, the second camera armsegment 123, and/or the third camera arm segment 125, may also be formedin any one of a plurality of other shapes, sizes, and/or dimensionswithout departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

In an example embodiment, the camera anchoring portion 120 a may beattachable to the rest of the camera arm assembly 120, such as via thefirst camera arm segment 121, via hinge joint 122, or the like, and thecamera arm anchoring portion 120 a may be of sufficient length andthickness, such as 80 to 130 mm in length and about 1 to 2 mm inthickness, to attach to one or more anchoring portions 116 and/or flaps116 a.

After the camera arm assembly 120 is inserted through the port assembly110 and into a body cavity of a patient, the camera anchoring portion120 a may be securely received by the port assembly 110 via anchoringportions 116 and/or flaps 116 a. To enable the insertion (and removal)of other instruments, such as one or more instrument arm assemblies 130,the camera arm assembly 120 may be positionable in such a way that aclear path (via the first access port 112 a and/or second access port114 a of the port assembly 110) may be provided to allow the insertion(and removal) of other instruments (see, for example, FIG. 10D). Suchpositioning may be secured by the use of one or more supporting pins117, or the like. The supporting pins 117 may be provided in the form ofcurved plates, as illustrated in FIG. 6D and FIG. 10D, or other shapesand forms. In example embodiments, such supporting pins 117 may also beoperable to provide a separation or isolation of any cables and tubes(not shown) from the opening portion of the first access port 112 aand/or second access port 114 a of the port assembly 110.

In example embodiments, the supporting pins 117 may be provided so as tonot only secure the position of the camera arm assembly 120 in such away as to allow insertion (and removal) of other instruments, but toalso secure the position of the camera arm assembly 120 so as to allowremoval (and insertion) of the camera arm assembly 120 itself. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 6F and FIG. 6G, the port assembly 110may comprise a plurality of receiving sections 117′ for support pins117. One of the receiving portions 117 a′ may be operable to receive asupport pin 117 a to securely position one of the flaps 116 a of theport assembly 110 (and thus securely position an arm assembly, such as acamera arm assembly, instrument arm assembly, or an assistant armassembly) in an engaged position, as illustrated in the secondillustration of FIG. 6F. To securely position the flap 116 a of the portassembly 110 (and thus vertically position an arm assembly, such as acamera arm assembly, instrument arm assembly, or assistant arm assembly)in a transitionable position, as illustrated in the second illustrationof FIG. 6G, a support pin 117 b may be provided in receiving portion 117b′.

Example embodiments of the camera anchoring portion 120 a′, such asthose illustrated in FIGS. 8C-E, may comprise at least a restorativeportion 120 a″, or the like, which may be a portion of the cameraanchoring portion 120 a′ that is slightly curved in shape when in itsnatural shape/position (see, for example, FIG. 8C). The restorativeportion 120 a″ may provide a restoring force, such as a spring-likeelastic force, when the restorative portion 120 a″ of the cameraanchoring portion 120 a′ is deviated from its natural shape/position.For example, if an external force is applied to the restorative portion120 a″ of the camera anchoring portion 120 a′ so as to result in theoverall shape of the camera anchoring portion 120 a′ deviating from itsnatural shape/position (such as being brought to a substantiallystraight shape), and the external force is then removed, the restoringforce of the restorative portion 120 a″ of the camera anchoring portion120 a′ may be operable to cause the camera anchoring portion 120 a′ toreturn to its natural shape/position, as illustrated in FIG. 8C. It isrecognized in the present disclosure that such an embodiment of thecamera anchoring portion 120 a′ may enable a safe and effectiveinsertion and/or removal of the camera arm assembly 120 into and/or fromthe body cavity of a patient. For example, as illustrated in thesequence of illustrations of FIG. 8E, a camera arm assembly 120 securelypositioned in an engaged position via supporting pins 117 a (leftillustration of FIG. 8E) may be changed to be in a transitionableposition by removing the support pins 117 a (middle illustration of FIG.8E), which enables the restoring forces of the restorative portion 120a″ of the camera anchoring portion 120 a′ to return the camera anchoringportion 120 a′ to its natural shape/position and position the camera armassembly 120 for removal or insertion (right illustration of FIG. 8E).

In an example embodiment, the length of the first camera arm segment 121may be between about 5 to 35 mm, the length of the second camera armsegment 123 may be between about 50 to 70 mm, the length of the thirdcamera arm segment 125 may be between about 16 to 45 mm, and the overalllength of the collective camera arm segments and camera joint portionsmay be between about 110 to 150 mm. In example embodiments, the lengthof the first camera arm segment 121 may be between about 10 to 20 mm,the length of the second camera arm segment 123 may be between about 56to 60 mm, the length of the third camera arm segment 125 may be betweenabout 34 to 40 mm, and the overall length of the collective camera armsegments and camera joint portions may be between about 120 to 140 mm.In example embodiments, a length of one or more of the camera armsegments may also be adjustable by the surgical team 1204 before,during, and/or after insertion of the camera arm assembly into thecavity of the patient. The outer diameter of one or more of the cameraarm segments may be about 10 to 16 mm. In an example embodiment, theouter diameter of one or more of the camera arm segments may be about 16mm. It is to be understood in the present disclosure that the abovedimensions are merely an illustration of example embodiments, and assuch the dimensions may be smaller or larger than those recited abovewithout departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

The camera arm assembly 120, including the first camera arm segment 121,the second camera arm segment 123, the third camera arm segment 125, thefirst camera joint portion 124, the second camera joint portion 126, thecamera arm anchoring portion 120 a, and/or the hinge joint 122, may beformed using any one or more of a plurality of materials, such assurgical-grade metals, high-strength aluminum alloys, stainless steel(such as 304/304L, 316/316L, and 420), pure titanium, titanium alloys(such as Ti6Al4V, NiTi), and cobalt-chromium alloys. It is to beunderstood in the present disclosure that other materials may also beused without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. Itis to be understood in the present disclosure that the above materialsare merely an illustration of example embodiments, and these and othermaterials and compositions may be used without departing from theteachings of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8E-G, the camera arm assembly 120 may furthercomprise a gas shield 127 a located nearby a lens of the camera 127. Thecamera arm assembly 120 may further comprise a gas shield (not shown)located nearby an illumination source 129 and/or any other sensorsprovided by the camera arm assembly 120. The gas shield 127 a maycomprise one or more openings or the like, one or more external gassources (not shown), and one or more tubes, channels, or the like,between the one or more external gas sources and the one or moreopenings of the gas shield 127 a.

In operation, the gas shield 127 a may be operable to providepressurized gases (and/or liquids), such as carbon dioxide, oxygen,other gases or liquids, or combinations thereof, via the one or moreopenings of the gas shield 127 a to an area in front of the camera 127(as well as the illumination sources 129 and/or other sensors). Inexample embodiments, the pressurized gases (and/or liquids) may bedischarged from the one or more openings of the gas shield 127 a at anangle θ₂, wherein θ₂ is an angle between about 0 and 90 degrees, asillustrated in FIG. 8F. In example embodiments, the angle θ₂ and/orcertain characteristics (such as flow, pressure, temperature, and/orcomposition) of the discharged pressurized gases (and/or liquids) may becontrolled and/or changed on demand, continuously, and/orintermittently.

As illustrated in FIG. 8G, the discharged pressurized gases from two ormore example embodiments of the gas shields 127 a (corresponding to onecamera 127) may be operable to cooperate together (or disturb eachother) so as to form a spiral-like gas flow, a radially inward and/oroutward gas flow, and/or the like, in front of the camera 127 so as toform an effective gas barrier in front of the camera 127.

Although FIGS. 8E and 8G depict two openings of the gas shield 127 a foreach camera 127, it is to be understood in the present disclosure thatexample embodiments may also comprise a single opening of the gas shield127 a (not shown) or more than two openings of the gas shield (notshown) for each camera 127 without departing from the teachings of thepresent disclosure.

It is recognized in the present disclosure that example embodiments ofthe gas shield 127 a may be operable to prevent, minimize, orsubstantially eliminate an occurrence of contamination and/or partial orcomplete blockage of the camera 127 (and/or the illumination sources 129and/or other sensors) during a surgical procedure due to fogging, tissuedebris, liquids (such as blood), and/or particle accumulation. In thisregard, example embodiments of the gas shield 127 a may be operable tomaintain substantial visibility within a body cavity via such cameras127 (and illumination sources 129 and/or other sensors) and effectivelyenable surgical teams viewing images, video, and/or other informationcaptured by such cameras 127 (and illumination sources 129 and/or othersensors) to carry on performing surgical procedures withoutinterruption.

Each opening of the gas shield 127 a may be in any shape and form. Forexample, the opening may be a circular opening (as shown in FIGS. 8E-G),an elliptical opening, a square opening, a rectangular opening, atriangular opening, or other geometrical shapes, and/or combinationsthereof. Each opening of the gas shield 127 a may have a diameter ofabout 0.3 mm or less for circular or elliptical openings.

The Instrument Arm Assembly (e.g., 130, 140)

In an example embodiment, the surgical device 100 may comprise one ormore instrument arm assemblies, such as the first instrument armassembly 130, a second instrument arm assembly 140, a third instrumentarm assembly (not shown), a fourth instrument arm assembly (not shown),etc., each configurable to attach to the port assembly 110. One or moreof the instrument arm assemblies (such as 130, 140) may comprise aconfigurable serial (or linear) arrangement of a plurality of instrumentarm segments and joint portions, and at least one end instrument 139,including instruments 139 a and 139 b, integrated into and/or connectedto one or more of the instrument arm segments and/or joint portions. Theend instrument 139 may be any instrument suitable for use in MISprocedures, such as a cutting and/or gripping instrument. One or more ofthe instrument arm assemblies (such as 130, 140) may also comprise oneor more illumination sources (not shown), such as an LED, or the like,operable to illuminate one or more parts of the end instrument 139,including instruments 139 a and 139 b, and/or instrument arm assembliesand/or parts, sections, and/or quadrants of the abdominal cavity of thepatient. One or more of the instrument arm assemblies (such as 130, 140)may also comprise a haptic and/or force feedback instrument (not shown)and/or other sensors and/or instruments operable to provide to thecomputing device of one or more nearby and/or remotely located surgicalteam 1204 one or more of a plurality of feedback responses and/ormeasurements, including those pertaining to position (includingorientation), applied force, proximity, temperature, pressure, humidity,etc., of, by, and/or nearby to the instrument arm assembly. When aninstrument arm assembly (such as 130, 140) comprises one or moreillumination sources, cameras, haptic and/or force feedback instruments,and/or other sensors and/or instruments, as described above, theinstrument arm assembly may also comprise a gas shield, such as the gasshield 127 a described above for the camera arm assembly 120. One ormore of the instrument arm assemblies (such as 130, 140) may furthercomprise one or more internal temperature control assemblies operable tocontrol (such as reduce or increase) the temperature of one or morecomponents of the instrument arm assembly.

As illustrated in the example embodiment of FIG. 1 and FIGS. 7A and 7B,each of the instrument arm assemblies, including the first instrumentarm assembly 130, may comprise a first instrument arm segment 131, asecond instrument arm segment 133, a third instrument arm segment 135,and a fourth instrument arm segment 137. The instrument arm assembly 130may also comprise a first joint portion 132, a second joint portion 134,a third joint portion 136, and an instrument joint portion 138. Each ofthe aforementioned joint portions may be configurable, either manuallyand/or via the computing device (or system), to provide an attachedinstrument arm segment (and the end instrument 139, includinginstruments 139 a and 139 b) with one or more in vivo degrees of freedomwhen the instrument arm assembly is provided in the abdominal cavity ofthe patient. For example, the first joint portion 132 may be operable toprovide the second instrument arm segment 133 with a pivotal movementrelative to the first joint portion 132, as illustrated by arrow A inFIG. 1, and/or a torsional movement relative to the first joint portion132, as illustrated by arrow B in FIG. 1. As another example, the secondjoint portion 134 may be operable to provide the third instrument armsegment 135 with a torsional movement relative to the second jointportion 134, as illustrated by arrow C in FIG. 1, and/or a pivotalmovement relative to the second joint portion 134, as illustrated byarrow F in FIG. 1. As another example, the third joint portion 136 maybe operable to provide the fourth instrument arm segment 137 with apivotal movement relative to the third joint portion 136, as illustratedby arrow E in FIG. 1, and/or a torsional movement relative to the thirdjoint portion 136, as illustrated by arrow F in FIG. 1. As anotherexample, the instrument joint portion 138 may be operable to provide theinstrument 139 a with one or more pivotal movements relative to theinstrument joint portion 138, as illustrated by arrow G in FIG. 1,and/or a torsional movement relative to the instrument joint portion 138(not shown). As another example, the instrument joint portion 138 may beoperable to provide the instrument 139 b with one or more pivotalmovements relative to the instrument joint portion 138, as illustratedby arrow G in FIG. 1, and/or a torsional movement relative to theinstrument joint portion 138 (not shown). Accordingly, one or more ofthe instrument arm assemblies may be configurable, either manuallyand/or via the computing device (or system), to provide seven or more invivo degrees of freedom and, together with the at least one in vitrodegree of freedom provided by the port assembly 110, including thecontrollable swivel assembly 1300 (see FIG. 13), the one or more of theinstrument arm assemblies may be configurable, either manually and/orvia the computing device (or system), to provide a total of eight ormore degrees of freedom. It is recognized herein that the aforementionedat least seven in vivo degrees of freedom for the instrument armassembly enables at least the full range of natural movements by asurgeon's arm (via a computer-human interface, such as the exampleillustrated in FIG. 12) to be substantially directly mapped and/ortranslated to the instrument arm assembly, which is not achievable inpresent surgical robotic systems.

Each joint portion, including joint portions 132, 134, and 136, andinstrument joint portion 138 may comprise any one or more configurationsof gears and/or gear assemblies, including straight gear configurations,planetary gear configurations, beveled gear configurations, spiralbeveled gear configurations, hypoid gear configurations, helical gearconfigurations, worm gear configurations, and/or any other gearconfiguration without departing from the teachings of the presentdisclosure. In example embodiments, each instrument arm assembly mayalso comprise one or more internal motors (not shown), or the like,operable to actuate the gears of each joint portion, including jointportions 132, 134, and 136, and/or the instrument arm segments 131, 133,135, and 137. In this regard, each of the abovementioned motors, jointportions, and/or instrument arm segments may be operable to communicate,such as receive control commands and/or transmit information, fromand/or to the computing device (or system) of one or more nearby and/orremotely located surgical teams 1204 via wired and/or wirelesscommunication in example embodiments. Furthermore, each of theabovementioned motors, joint portions, and/or instrument arm segmentsmay be operable to receive power from an external power source and/orthe computing device (or system) via wired and/or wireless transmissionsin example embodiments.

Each of the instrument arm assemblies may also comprise an instrumentanchoring portion 130 a operable to attach (or secure) the instrumentarm assembly to one or more anchoring portions 116 (and/or flaps 116 a),and this may be provided via the first instrument arm segment 131. FIG.7A illustrates an example embodiment of an instrument anchoring portion130 a operable to attach to the anchoring portion 116 of the exampleembodiment of the port assembly 110 in FIG. 6A, and FIG. 7B illustratesan example embodiment of an instrument anchoring portion 130 a operableto attach to the flaps 116 a of the example embodiment of the portassembly 110 in FIG. 6C. These and other types or configurations ofinstrument anchoring portions 130 a and anchoring portions 116 may beprovided and configured in example embodiments without departing fromthe teachings of the present disclosure.

One or more internal temperature control assemblies (not shown) may beprovided for each of the one or more instrument arm assemblies. Eachinternal temperature control assembly may be operable to control (suchas reduce) the temperature and/or heat emission of the aforementionedgears and/or gear assemblies, motors, instrument joint portions (such as132, 134, and 136), and/or instrument arm segments (such as 131, 133,135, and 137). The one or more internal temperature control assembliesmay also be operable to control (such as increase or decrease) thetemperature of the instrument 139 (which may be desirable when theinstrument 139 is a cutting tool, or the like). In an exampleembodiment, the one or more internal temperature control assemblies maybe operable to perform such temperature control using one or more gases,liquids, and/or solids. For example, the gases and/or liquids may befed, maintained, and/or regulated using an external source via one ormore tubes, or the like. The one or more tubes used to provide,regulate, and/or discharge the gases and/or liquids may have a diameterbetween about 0.5 mm to 3 mm in example embodiments, but the dimensionsof such tubes may also be more or less. It is to be understood in thepresent disclosure that the one or more tubes (if used), as well anysolids (if used), may be provided through an interior of the instrumentarm assembly without increasing dimensions (such as diameter) of theinstrument arm assembly.

When the internal temperature control assembly utilizes gases, or thelike, example embodiments may also be operable to provide such gasesinto the body cavity and/or discharge or recycle such gases outside ofthe body cavity via one or more tubes, or the like. The gases maycomprise carbon dioxide, oxygen, and/or other gases in exampleembodiments. Such gases may be further operable to assist in providingand/or maintaining insufflation of the body cavity, such as via anopening (not shown).

When the internal temperature control assembly utilizes liquids, or thelike, example embodiments may be operable to discharge or recycle suchliquids outside of the body cavity.

When the internal temperature control assembly utilizes solids, or thelike, such solids may possess properties that enable the surgical teamto change the temperature of the solids, such as by applying electricityor other form of energy, so as to control (such as reduce) thetemperature and/or heat emission of one or more components of the cameraarm assembly 120.

In example embodiments, the internal temperature control assembly mayutilize a combination of gases, liquids, solids, and/or the like withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present disclosure.

After the instrument arm assembly 130 has been inserted and attached (orsecured) to the port assembly 110, the end instrument 139 may beconfigurable, either manually and/or via the computing device (orsystem), to apply between about 0 to 20 N of force when performingsurgical actions and procedures, such as clipping and/or graspingactions. Furthermore, the end instrument 139, including each instrument139 a and 139 b, may be configurable, either manually and/or via thecomputing device (or system), to apply between about 0 to 10 N of forcewhen performing other surgical actions and procedures, such astranslational, twisting, pulling, and/or pushing actions. It is to beunderstood in the present disclosure that the above range of applicableforce are merely an illustration of example embodiments, and as such therange of applicable force may be smaller or larger than those recitedabove without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

In an example embodiment, the instrument arm segments, including thefirst instrument arm segment 131, the second instrument arm segment 133,the third instrument arm segment 135, and/or the fourth instrument armsegment 137, may be substantially cylindrical in shape, as illustratedin at least FIGS. 7A and 7B. The instrument arm segments, including thefirst instrument arm segment 131, the second instrument arm segment 133,the third instrument arm segment 135, and/or the fourth instrument armsegment 137, may also be formed in any one of a plurality of othershapes, sizes, and/or dimensions without departing from the teachings ofthe present disclosure.

In an example embodiment, the instrument anchoring portion 130 a may beattachable to the rest of the instrument arm assembly 130, such as viathe first instrument arm segment 131, via hinge joint 130 b, or thelike, and the instrument arm anchoring portion 130 a may be ofsufficient length and thickness, such as about 80 to 130 mm in length,about 3-15 mm in width, and about 0.2 to 3 mm in thickness, to attach(or connect or anchor) to one or more anchoring portions 116 and/orflaps 116 a.

After the instrument arm assembly 130 is inserted through the portassembly 110 and into an abdominal cavity of a patient, the instrumentanchoring portion 130 a may be securely received by the port assembly110 via anchoring portions 116 and/or flaps 116 a. To enable theinsertion (and removal) of other instruments, such as one or more otherinstrument arm assemblies 140, the instrument arm assembly 130 may bepositionable in such a way that a clear path (via the first access port112 a and/or second access port 114 a of the port assembly 110) may beprovided to allow the insertion (and removal) of other instruments (see,for example, FIG. 11E). Such positioning may be secured by the use ofone or more supporting pins 117. The support pins 117 may be provided inthe form of curved plates, as illustrated in FIG. 6D and FIG. 11D, orother shapes and forms. In example embodiments, such supporting pins 117may also be operable to provide a separation or isolation of any cablesand tubes (not shown) from the opening portion of the first access port112 a and/or second access port 114 a of the port assembly 110.

In example embodiments, the supporting pins 117 may be provided so as tonot only secure the position of the instrument arm assembly 130 in sucha way as to allow insertion (and removal) of other instruments, but toalso secure the position of the instrument arm assembly 130 so as toallow removal (and insertion) of the instrument arm assembly 130 itself.As previously explained above for FIGS. 6F and 6G, the port assembly 110may comprise a plurality of receiving sections 117′ for support pins 117(see first illustration of FIGS. 6F and 6G). One of the receivingportions 117 a′ may be operable to receive a support pin 117 a tosecurely position one of the flaps 116 a of the port assembly 110 (andthus securely position an arm assembly, such as a camera arm assembly,instrument arm assembly, or an assistant arm assembly) in an engagedposition, as illustrated in the second illustration of FIG. 6F. Tosecurely position the flap 116 a of the port assembly 110 (and thusvertically position an arm assembly, such as a camera arm assembly,instrument arm assembly, or assistant arm assembly) in a transitionableposition, as illustrated in the second illustration of FIG. 6G, asupport pin 117 b may be provided in receiving portion 117 b′.

Example embodiments of the instrument anchoring portion 130 a′, such asthose illustrated in FIGS. 7C-E, may comprise at least a restorativeportion 130 a″, or the like, which may be a portion of the instrumentanchoring portion 130 a′ that is slightly curved in shape when in itsnatural shape/position (see, for example, FIG. 7C). The restorativeportion 130 a″ may provide a restoring force, such as a spring-likeelastic force, when the restorative portion 130 a″ of the instrumentanchoring portion 130 a′ is deviated from its natural shape/position.For example, if an external force is applied to the restorative portion130 a″ of the instrument anchoring portion 130 a′ so as to result in theoverall shape of the instrument anchoring portion 130 a′ deviating fromits natural shape/position (such as being brought to a substantiallystraight shape), and the external force is then removed, the restoringforce of the restorative portion 130 a″ of the instrument anchoringportion 130 a′ may be operable to cause the instrument anchoring portion130 a′ to return to its natural shape/position, as illustrated in FIG.7C. It is recognized in the present disclosure that such an embodimentof the instrument anchoring portion 130 a′ may enable a safe andeffective insertion and/or removal of the instrument arm assembly 130into and/or from the body cavity of a patient. For example, asillustrated in the sequence of illustrations of FIG. 7E, an instrumentarm assembly 130 securely positioned in an engaged position viasupporting pins 117 a (left illustration of FIG. 7E) may be changed tobe in a transitionable position by removing the support pins 117 a(middle illustration of FIG. 7E), which enables the restoring forces ofthe instrument anchoring portion 130 a′ to return the instrumentanchoring portion 130 a′ to its natural shape/position and position theinstrument arm assembly 130 for removal or insertion (right illustrationof FIG. 7E).

In an example embodiment, the length of the first instrument arm segment131 may be between about 60 to 85 mm, the length of the secondinstrument arm segment 133 may be between about 80 to 105 mm, the lengthof the third instrument arm segment 135 may be between about 65 to 90mm, the length of the fourth instrument arm segment 137 may be betweenabout 5 to 30 mm, and the overall length of the collective instrumentarm (excluding the instrument 139 a and 139 b) may be between about 210to 310 mm. In example embodiments, the length of the first instrumentarm segment 131 may be between about 70 to 80 mm, the length of thesecond instrument arm segment 133 may be between about 90 to 100 mm, thelength of the third instrument arm segment 135 may be between about 75to 85 mm, the length of the fourth instrument arm segment 137 may bebetween about 15 to 25 mm, and the overall length of the collectiveinstrument arm (excluding the end instrument 139 and instrument 139 aand 139 b) may be between about 250 to 290 mm. In example embodiments, alength of one or more of the instrument arm segments and/or the endinstrument 139 may also be adjustable by the computing device (orsystem) of one or more nearby and/or remotely located surgical teams1204 before, during, and/or after insertion of the instrument armassembly into the cavity of the patient. The outer diameter of one ormore of the instrument arm segments may be about 10 to 16 mm. In anexample embodiment, the outer diameter of one or more of the instrumentarm segments may be about 16 mm.

Each of the instrument arm assemblies, including the first instrumentarm segment 131, the second instrument arm segment 133, the thirdinstrument arm segment 135, the fourth instrument arm segment 137, theend instrument 139, the first joint portion 132, the second jointportion 134, the third joint portion 136, the instrument joint 138, theinstrument arm anchoring portion 130 a, and/or the hinge joint 130 b,may be formed using any one or more of a plurality of materials, such assurgical-grade metals, high-strength aluminum alloys, stainless steel(such as 304/304L, 316/316L, and 420), pure titanium, titanium alloys(such as Ti6Al4V, NiTi), and cobalt-chromium alloys. It is to beunderstood in the present disclosure that other materials may also beused without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

Method of Setting up the Surgical Device

As illustrated in FIG. 9, example embodiments of the surgical device 100may be configurable to perform a surgical action or procedure in one ofa plurality of ways. In an example embodiment, the external anchor 200may be provided and installed/anchored (e.g., action 901) to thestationary object. After providing the opening (such as an incision or anatural orifice) and a workable space in abdominal cavity (such as viainsufflation using CO₂ and/or other gases, vacuum suction tools, and/orretractable hook tools) for the patient, the port assembly 110 may beprovided, inserted, and installed (e.g., action 902) in or about theopening of the patient using the external anchor 200. The controllableswivel assembly 1300 may also be used in example embodiments. Forexample, a single incision through the umbilicus and a workableabdominal cavity of about 10-12 cm in height may be provided for thepatient. Thereafter, one or more camera arm assemblies (e.g., action904), one or more instrument arm assemblies (e.g., action 906), and/orone or more assistant arm assemblies (e.g., action 908) may be insertedinto the port assembly 110, inserted and configured in the abdominalcavity of the patient, and attached to the anchoring portions 116 and/orflaps 116 a of the port assembly 110. A surgical action or procedure maythen be performed in any part, area, and/or quadrant of the abdominalcavity of the patient using the surgical device 100. These processeswill now be described with references to at least FIGS. 9, 10A-D, 11A-E,and 12.

(1) Providing the External Anchor and Installing the Outer Body of thePort Assembly (e.g., Actions 901 and 902).

In an example embodiment, the external anchor 200 may be provided andinstalled/anchored to one or more stationary objects, such as a siderail 300 of a surgical table/bed, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Oneor more segments 202, 206, 210, and 214 of the external anchor 200 maycooperate using one or more joints 204, 208, 212, and 216 of theexternal anchor 200 to fix the position (including orientation) of theport assembly 110 in or about the opening of the patient.

In an example embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the external anchor200 may comprise a controllable swivel assembly 1300 operable to provideone or more additional in vitro degrees of freedom, such as via a firstswivel portion 1302, second swivel portion 1304, and/or third swivelportion 1306. The controllable swivel assembly 1300 may further comprisea motor 1302 a for the first swivel portion 1302, a motor 1304 a for thesecond swivel portion 1304, a motor 1306 a for the third swivel portion1306, one or more supporting arms 1308, and one or more locks 1310.

The first swivel portion 1302 may be operable to provide, as one of thein vitro degrees of freedom, a translational movement of the portassembly 110 along an axis defined by the elongated length of the portassembly 110, as illustrated by the arrow A. In example embodiments, thetranslational movement, as illustrated by arrow A, provided by the firstswivel portion 1302 may be between about 0 to 50 mm.

The controllable swivel assembly 1300 may further comprise a secondswivel portion 1304 operable to provide, as another one of the in vitrodegrees of freedom, a torsional or rotational movement of the portassembly 110 about an axis depicted by axis Y. In example embodiments,the torsional or rotational movement, as illustrated by the arrow B,provided by the second swivel portion 1304 may be between about +/−180degrees.

The controllable swivel assembly 1300 may further comprise a thirdswivel portion 1306 operable to provide, as another one of the in vitrodegrees of freedom, a pivotal or rotational movement of the portassembly 110 about an axis perpendicular to the Y-axis, such as the axisdepicted by axis Z (which comes out of the page). In exampleembodiments, the Z-axis or the center of rotation may be located atabout opening of the patient, such as at the mid-point of the abdominalwall. In example embodiments, the pivotal or rotational movement, asillustrated by the arrow C, provided by the third swivel portion 1306may be between about +/−80 degrees.

It is recognized in the present disclosure that the controllable swivelassembly 1300 may comprise the first swivel portion 1302, second swivelportion 1304, and/or third swivel portion 1306 in example embodiments.The controllable swivel assembly 1300 may further comprise other swivelportions (not shown) when more than three in vitro degrees of freedomand/or movements/rotations other than those providable by the firstswivel portion 1302, second swivel portion 1304, and third swivelportion 1306 are desired and/or required.

The controllable swivel assembly 1300, including the first swivelportion 1302, the second swivel portion 1304, and/or the third swivelportion 1306, may be controllable either locally or remotely by thesurgical team.

In an example embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the first end112 c may be inserted into a single opening of the patient, such as anincision through the umbilicus, and the second end 112 b may be attachedto the external anchor connector 216 to fix the outer body 112 inposition (including orientation) with respect to at least the one ormore stationary objects. Once fixed in position, the outer body 112 ofthe port assembly 110 may be operable to provide an access port (orpassageway) via the first access port 112 a for insertion of one or moreinstruments.

In example embodiments, one or more of the instrument arm assemblies,camera arm assemblies, and/or assistant arm assemblies may be operableto communicate with the computing device (or system) of one or morenearby and/or remotely located surgical teams 1204, including receiveand/or transmit, one or more of control, imaging, feedback, information,and/or power signals using wired and/or wireless communication. Forwired communication, one or more external wires (i.e. in exampleembodiments wherein an instrument communicates using wires and the wiresare not provided and/or embedded substantially inside the instrument),one or more interior portions of the first access port 112 a may beprovided with one or more channels, grooves, or the like, to allow forthe one or more wires to be routed through the port assembly 110. It isto be understood herein that one or more channels, grooves, or the like,may also be provided for one or more exterior portions of the inner body114 in addition to or in replacement of those provided for the one ormore interior portions of the first access port 112 a in such exampleembodiments. In example embodiments wherein communications, includingreceiving and transmitting, are provided via wireless communication,such channels, grooves, or the like, may not be required.

(2) Inserting and Attaching the Camera Arm Assembly (e.g., Action 904).

After the outer body 112 of the port assembly 110 is fixed in position(including orientation) in or about the opening of the patient, thecamera arm assembly 120 may be inserted into the port assembly 110, suchas via the first access port 112 a, and into the abdominal cavity of thepatient, as illustrated in FIGS. 10A-D. The camera arm assembly 120 maybe dynamically configured (that is, configured before, during, and/orafter the insertion of the camera arm assembly 120 into the abdominalcavity of the patient), either manually and/or by commanding via thecomputing device (or system) of one or more nearby and/or remotelylocated surgical teams 1204, by actuating one or more of the camerajoint portions 122, 124, 126 and/or camera arm segments 121, 123, 125 insuch a way as to prevent a portion of the camera arm assembly 120 fromcontacting with an interior wall of the abdominal cavity of the patient.Furthermore, the said configuring before, during, and/or after theinsertion may also be performed so as to provide a subsequent clearpassageway into the abdominal cavity of the patient, as illustrated inFIG. 10D, for one or more subsequent insertions of other instruments,such another camera arm assembly, one or more instrument arm assemblies,and/or one or more assistant arm assemblies. The camera arm assembly 120may also be anchored to the port assembly 110, as illustrated in FIG.10C, using one or more anchoring portions 116 and/or flaps 116 a. Inexample embodiments, the camera anchoring portion 120 a of the cameraarm assembly 120 may be operable to anchor or secure to the portassembly 110 via one or more anchoring portions 116 and/or the flap 116a of the port assembly 110, as described above and herein.

In example embodiments, the camera arm assembly 120 may be the firstinstrument installed after the installation of the outer body 112 of theport assembly 110. In installing the camera arm assembly 120 first andpositioning the camera in the abdominal cavity of the patient in such away as to provide an operator (such as the surgeon) with an interiorcavity view of subsequent insertion(s) of other instrument(s) (includinganother camera arm assembly, one or more instrument arm assemblies,and/or one or more assistant arm assemblies), it is recognized in thepresent disclosure that the operator, either manually and/or via thecomputing device (or system), may be enabled to properly and carefullyperform dynamic configuring of the subsequent instruments during andafter the insertion of the subsequent instruments into the abdominalcavity of the patient. As a result, the operator may avoid and/orprevent such subsequent instruments from contacting with and/oraffecting a part of an interior of the abdominal cavity (and/or otherarm assemblies) and possibly causing unintentional and undesirable harm,injury, and/or complications to the patient. It is to be understood inthe present disclosure that the instrument arm assembly 120, theassistant arm assembly 150, or other instruments may also be the firstinstrument installed after the installation of the outer body 112 of theport assembly 110 without departing from the teachings of the presentdisclosure.

(4) Inserting and Attaching a First Instrument Arm Assembly (e.g.,Action 906).

An instrument arm assembly 130 may be inserted into the port assembly110, such as via the first access port 112 a, and into the abdominalcavity of the patient, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A-E. The instrument armassembly 130 may be dynamically configured (that is, configured before,during, and/or after the insertion of the instrument arm assembly 130into the cavity of the patient), either manually and/or by commandingvia the computing device (or system) of one or more nearby and/orremotely located surgical teams 1204, by actuating one or more of thejoint portions 130 b, 132, 134, 136, 138 and/or instrument arm segments131, 133, 135, 137 and/or end instrument 139, including instruments 139a and 139 b, in such a way as to prevent a portion of the instrument armassembly 130 from contacting with an interior wall of the abdominalcavity of the patient. Furthermore, the said configuring before, during,and/or after the insertion may also be performed so as to provide aclear passageway into the abdominal cavity of the patient, asillustrated in FIG. 11E, for one or more subsequent insertions of otherinstruments, such one or more camera arm assemblies, one or moreadditional instrument arm assemblies, and/or one or more assistant armassemblies. The instrument arm assembly 130 may also be anchored to theport assembly 110, as illustrated in FIG. 11D, using one or moreanchoring portions 116 and/or flaps 116 a. In example embodiments, theinstrument anchoring portion 130 a of the instrument arm assembly 130may be operable to anchor or secure to the port assembly 110 via one ormore anchoring portions 116 and/or the flap 116 a of the port assembly110, as described above and herein.

(5) Inserting and Attaching One or More Additional Instrument ArmAssemblies, One or More Assistant Arm Assemblies, and/or One or MoreAdditional Camera Arm Assemblies (e.g., Action 908).

One or more additional instrument arm assemblies (such as 140illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4, and 5), one or more assistant armassemblies (such as 150 illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4, and 5), and/orone or more additional camera arm assemblies (not shown) may also beinserted into the port assembly 110, such as via the first access port112 a, and into the cavity of the patient. The one or more instrumentarm assemblies, one or more assistant arm assemblies, and/or one or moreadditional camera arm assemblies may also be dynamically configured,either manually and/or via the computing device (or system), insubstantially the same way as described above so as to prevent a portionof the assemblies from contacting with an interior wall of the abdominalcavity of the patient. Furthermore, the said configuring during and/orafter the insertion may also be performed so as to provide a clearpassageway into the abdominal cavity of the patient for one or moresubsequent insertions of other instruments, such one or more camera armassemblies, one or more additional instrument arm assemblies, and/or oneor more assistant arm assemblies. The one or more additional instrumentarm assemblies, one or more assistant arm assemblies, and/or one or morecamera arm assemblies may also be attached to the port assembly 110 andprevented from blocking or partially blocking a passageway into theabdominal cavity of the patient for the subsequent insertions of otherinstruments. In example embodiments, an anchoring portion of the one ormore additional instrument arm assemblies, one or more assistant armassemblies, and/or one or more camera arm assemblies may be operable toanchor or secure to the port assembly 110 via one or more anchoringportions 116 and/or the flap 116 a of the port assembly 110, asdescribed above and herein.

(6) Providing the Inner Body of the Port Assembly and Other AdditionalInstruments (e.g., Action 910 and 912).

After the outer body 112 of the port assembly 110 is fixed in position(including orientation) in or about the opening of the patient and theone or more camera arm assemblies (such as camera arm assembly 120), theone or more instrument arm assemblies (such as instrument arm assemblies130 and 140), and/or the one or more assistant arm assemblies (such asassistant arm assembly 150) have been installed and dynamicallyconfigured in the abdominal cavity of the patient, the inner body 114 ofthe port assembly 110 may be inserted into the first access port 112 aand attached to one or more of the anchoring portions 116 of the outerbody 112 (e.g., see FIGS. 6A and 6B). After the installation of theinner body 114, the inner body 114 may be operable to provide a secondaccess port 114 a for the surgical device 100. In example embodiments,the second access port 114 a may be considered as replacing the firstaccess port 112 a of the surgical device 100. In example embodiments,the second access port 114 a is operable to provide an access porthaving a consistently maintained diameter after the insertion andinstallation of the one or more camera arm assemblies (such as cameraarm assembly 120), the one or more instrument arm assemblies (such asinstrument arm assemblies 130 and 140), and/or the one or more assistantarm assemblies (such as assistant arm assembly 150). The consistentlymaintained diameter may be between about 15 to 17 mm in exampleembodiments.

The inner body 114 may be operable to assist with, support, and/orensure the attachment of inserted instrument(s), including the one ormore instrument arm assemblies, the one or more camera arm assemblies,and/or the one or more assistant arm assemblies. The inner body 114 mayalso be operable to isolate and/or protect one or more attachmentportions of the inserted instrument(s), such as 120 a and/or 130 a.Furthermore, the inner body 114 may be operable to provide an accessport (or passageway) via the second access port 114 a so as to allowaccess to the abdominal cavity of the patient, including allowing theinsertion of other instruments, such as instrument 160 (e.g., see FIG.5). For example, during a surgical action or procedure, the secondaccess port 114 a may be operable to allow the insertion of a suctioninstrument 160 so as to allow for the removal of accumulative cavityfluids and/or gases, such as water and/or blood.

It is recognized in the present disclosure that example embodiments ofthe surgical device 100 and the methods 900 of configuring the surgicaldevice 100 provided in the present disclosure for performing surgicalprocedures via a single opening of a patient may provide for severaladvantages and/or solutions to problems, including, but not limited to,a requirement for only a single opening instead of the multipleincisions required by known MIS procedures using surgical roboticsystems; a substantial reduction in the size of the opening (such as anincision) of less than about 24 mm, as compared to present MISprocedures and known surgical robotic systems and procedures requiringbetween rather large incisions of about 30 to 35 mm; a reduction orimprovement pertaining to excessive blood loss, wound sizes, number ofwounds, healing times, pain, hospitalization periods as a result of thereduction in the number and sizes of incisions and prevention ofinstruments from contacting with an interior part of the abdominalcavity of the patient; enabling access all parts, areas, and quadrantsof the abdominal cavity of the patient during and after installationand/or set up of the surgical device 100 as compared to the inabilityfor known surgical robotic systems and methods to access all or evenmost parts, areas, and quadrants of the cavity of the patient during andafter installation and/or set up; providing at least seven in vivodegrees of freedom for each instrument arm assembly (such as instrumentarm assemblies 130 and 140) and a total of at least eight degrees offreedom (via the additional one or more in vitro degrees of freedomprovided by the port assembly 110, including the controllable swivelassembly 1300) for each of the instrument arm assemblies; providingfeedback, including haptic and/or force feedback, other feedback, and/orinformation/measurements via the other instruments and/or sensors, tothe one or more local and/or remote surgical teams 1204 duringinstallation and/or set up, during the surgical action or procedure, andafter the surgical action or procedure; and providing a plurality of 2Dand/or 3D standard or high definition views for all parts, areas, andquadrants of the abdominal cavity of the patient and each of theinstruments provided in the abdominal cavity of the patient. Setup,installation, removal, control, operation, and/or monitoring of thesurgical device 100 may be performable partially, entirely, and/or incooperation with the surgical team system illustrated in FIG. 12.

(7) Re-configuring the Surgical Device (e.g., Action 914).

Before and/or after the insertion and installation of the inner body114, the surgical device 100 may be re-configurable in one of aplurality of ways. For example, one or more of the installedinstruments, including the one or more instrument arm assemblies, theone or more camera arm assemblies, and the one or more assistant armassemblies, may be re-configured, re-positioned, and/or re-oriented,either manually and/or by the computing device (or system), via theplurality of in vivo degrees of freedom configurable by each installedinstrument and/or the one or more in vitro degrees of freedomconfigurable by the external anchor 200 and the outer body 112 of theport assembly 110. In doing so, the one or more installed instrumentsmay be operable to access other parts, areas, and/or quadrants of theabdominal cavity of the patient without a requirement to re-perform theset up process, as presently required in known surgical robotic systems.

The surgical device 100 may also be operable to add (and/or remove) oneor more instruments (or installed instruments), such as one or moreinstrument arm assemblies, one or more camera arm assemblies, and/or oneor more assistant arm assemblies, by removing the installed inner body114 and/or installing (and/or removing) the required (or unrequired)instruments, as described above and herein. Once the desired addition(and/or removal) of the one or more instruments (or installedinstruments) is performed, the inner body 114 may then be re-installedinto the first access port 112 a without a requirement to re-perform theset up process, as presently required in surgical robotic systems.

It is recognized in the present disclosure that the abovementionedre-configuration, re-positioning, and/or re-orienting of the surgicaldevice 100 on-the-fly before and/or during a surgical action orprocedure enables surgical teams to complete surgical actions orprocedures in a more efficient, effective, simplified, and safe manner.

While various embodiments in accordance with the disclosed principleshave been described above, it should be understood that they have beenpresented by way of example only, and are not limiting. Thus, thebreadth and scope of the example embodiments described in the presentdisclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the claimsand their equivalents issuing from this disclosure. Furthermore, theabove advantages and features are provided in described embodiments, butshall not limit the application of such issued claims to processes andstructures accomplishing any or all of the above advantages.

For example, “assembly,” “device,” “portion,” “segment,” “member,”“body,” or other similar terms should generally be construed broadly toinclude one part or more than one part attached or connected together.

Various terms used herein have special meanings within the presenttechnical field. Whether a particular term should be construed as such a“term of art” depends on the context in which that term is used.“Connected,” “connecting,” “attached,” “attaching,” “anchored,”“anchoring,” “in communication with,” “communicating with,” “associatedwith,” “associating with,” or other similar terms should generally beconstrued broadly to include situations where attachments, connections,and anchoring are direct between referenced elements or through one ormore intermediaries between the referenced elements. These and otherterms are to be construed in light of the context in which they are usedin the present disclosure and as one of ordinary skill in the art wouldunderstand those terms in the disclosed context. The above definitionsare not exclusive of other meanings that might be imparted to thoseterms based on the disclosed context.

As referred to in the present disclosure, a computing device, aprocessor, and/or a system may be a virtual machine, computer, node,instance, host, and/or device in a networked or non-networked computingenvironment. A networked computing environment may be a collection ofdevices connected by communication channels that facilitatecommunications between devices and allow devices to share resources.Also as referred to in the present disclosure, a computing device may bea device deployed to execute a program operating as a socket listenerand may include software instances.

Resources may encompass any type of resource for running instancesincluding hardware (such as servers, clients, mainframe computers,networks, network storage, data sources, memory, central processing unittime, scientific instruments, and other computing devices), as well assoftware, software licenses, available network services, and othernon-hardware resources, or a combination thereof.

A networked computing environment may include, but is not limited to,computing grid systems, distributed computing environments, cloudcomputing environment, etc. Such networked computing environmentsinclude hardware and software infrastructures configured to form avirtual organization comprised of multiple resources that may be ingeographically disperse locations.

Furthermore, the coverage of the present application and any patentsissuing from the present application may extend to one or morecommunications protocols, including TCP/IP.

Words of comparison, measurement, and timing such as “at the time,”“equivalent,” “during,” “complete,” and the like should be understood tomean “substantially at the time,” “substantially equivalent,”“substantially during,” “substantially complete,” etc., where“substantially” means that such comparisons, measurements, and timingsare practicable to accomplish the implicitly or expressly stated desiredresult.

Additionally, the section headings herein are provided for consistencywith the suggestions under 37 C.F.R. 1.77 or otherwise to provideorganizational cues. These headings shall not limit or characterize theinvention(s) set out in any claims that may issue from this disclosure.Specifically, a description of a technology in the “Background” is notto be construed as an admission that technology is prior art to anyinvention(s) in this disclosure. Furthermore, any reference in thisdisclosure to “invention” in the singular should not be used to arguethat there is only a single point of novelty in this disclosure.Multiple inventions may be set forth according to the limitations of themultiple claims issuing from this disclosure, and such claimsaccordingly define the invention(s), and their equivalents, that areprotected thereby. In all instances, the scope of such claims shall beconsidered on their own merits in light of this disclosure, but shouldnot be constrained by the headings herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A surgical device comprising: a port assemblyhaving an access port and a plurality of anchoring portions, the portassembly further including: a plurality of separate internal channelsdistributedly formed around the access port, each internal channelparallel to the access port and formed in alignment with one of theanchor portions of the port assembly; a camera arm assembly having atleast one camera at a distal end, the camera arm assembly configurableto insert into the access port and attach to one of the anchoringportions; an instrument arm assembly, the instrument arm assemblyconfigurable to insert into the access port and attach to one of theanchoring portions of the port assembly, the instrument arm assemblyhaving a serial arrangement including: a shoulder section, the shouldersection forming a shoulder central axis; a first arm section, a proximalend of the first arm section connected to a distal end of the shouldersection via a shoulder joint portion, the first arm section being anelongated body forming a first arm central axis; an elbow joint portion,the elbow joint portion including an elbow pivotal joint connecting adistal end of the first arm section to a proximal end of a second armsection; the second arm section, a proximal end of the second armsection connected to the distal end of the elbow joint portion, thesecond arm section being an elongated body forming a second arm centralaxis; a wrist section, a proximal end of the wrist section connected toa distal end of the second arm section via a wrist joint portion; atleast one end instrument connected to a distal end of the wrist sectionvia an end instrument joint portion; and an instrument arm anchorsegment having a proximal end and a distal end, the instrument armanchor segment having an instrument arm anchor body and an instrumentarm anchor portion at a proximal end of the instrument arm anchor body,a distal end of the instrument arm anchor body connected to a proximalend of the shoulder section, wherein the instrument arm anchor body isconfigurable to be inserted through one of the internal channels of theport assembly, wherein the instrument arm anchor portion is configurableto anchor to one of the anchoring portions of the port assembly when theinstrument arm anchor body is housed in one of the internal channels ofthe port assembly, wherein the instrument arm anchor body is formed insuch a way that a clear path through the access port of the portassembly remains available for insertion of other instrument armassemblies when the instrument arm anchor body is housed in one of theinternal channels of the port assembly and the instrument arm anchorportion is anchored to one of the anchoring portions of the portassembly; wherein the instrument arm assembly is configurable to provideat least seven in vivo degrees of freedom after the instrument armassembly is inserted through the access port of the port assembly, theinstrument arm anchor body is housed in one of the internal channels ofthe port assembly, and the instrument arm anchor portion is anchored toone of the anchoring portions of the port assembly, wherein each of theat least seven in vivo degrees of freedom is a rotation relative to alinear axis, the at least seven in vivo degrees of freedom including: amovement of the first arm section relative to the shoulder central axis;a movement of the first arm section relative to an axis formed by theshoulder joint portion, the axis formed by the shoulder joint portionbeing different from the shoulder central axis; a movement of the firstarm section relative to the first arm central axis, the movement of thefirst arm section being a rotational movement of the first arm sectionrelative to the first arm central axis; a movement of the second armsection relative to an axis formed by the elbow pivotal joint of theelbow joint portion, the axis formed by the elbow pivotal joint beingdifferent from the first arm central second axis; a movement of thewrist section relative to the second arm central axis; a movement of theend instrument relative to an axis formed by the wrist joint portion,the axis formed by the wrist joint portion being different from thesecond arm central axis; and a movement of the end instrument relativeto an axis formed by the end instrument joint portion, the axis formedby the end instrument joint portion being different from the axis formedby the wrist joint portion; and wherein the shoulder joint portion,elbow joint portion, wrist joint portion, and end instrument jointportion are each independently controllable.
 2. The surgical device ofclaim 1, wherein each of the at least seven in vivo degrees of freedomis independently controllable by a computing device.
 3. The surgicaldevice of claim 1, wherein the instrument arm assembly is configurableto provide at least eight degrees of freedom.
 4. The surgical device ofclaim 1, wherein the port assembly is fixably positionable in at least aportion of an opening of a patient in one of a plurality of positionsvia an external anchor and configurable to provide at least one in vitrodegree of freedom, and wherein at least one of the in vitro degrees offreedom of the port assembly is a torsional movement or a pivotalmovement relative to the external anchor.
 5. The surgical device ofclaim 1, wherein the port assembly further comprises an outer body andan inner body, wherein the inner body is configurable to insert into andattach to the outer body, and wherein the outer body comprises a firstend fixably positionable in at least a portion of an opening of apatient in one of a plurality of positions and a second end operable toattach to an external anchor.
 6. The surgical device of claim 1, whereinthe port assembly is configurable to allow the insertion of at least thecamera arm assembly and the instrument arm assembly through the accessport of the port assembly.
 7. The surgical device of claim 1, whereinthe port assembly is configurable to allow an insertion of instrumentsinto a cavity of a patient via the access port when the surgical deviceis in operation.
 8. The surgical device of claim 1, wherein the cameraarm assembly is configurable in a serial arrangement including aplurality of camera arm segments, camera joint portions, and the atleast one camera attached to one of the camera arm segments, whereineach camera joint portion is configurable to provide an attached cameraarm segment with at least one degree of freedom, wherein the at leastone degree of freedom of each attached camera arm segment includes atorsional movement or a pivotal movement relative to the camera jointportion, wherein the at least one degree of freedom of each attachedcamera arm segment is an in vivo degree of freedom, wherein the at leastone degree of freedom of each attached camera arm segment isindependently controllable by a computing device, wherein the camera armassembly further comprises at least one illumination source, and whereinthe at least one camera is a high definition 3D camera.
 9. The surgicaldevice of claim 1, further comprising one or more additional instrumentarm assemblies, wherein each additional instrument arm assemblycomprises a serial arrangement including a plurality of arm segments, aplurality of joint portions, and at least one end instrument attached toone of the arm segments by an instrument joint portion at a distal end,wherein each joint portion is configurable to provide an attached armsegment with at least one degree of freedom, wherein the instrumentjoint portion is configurable to provide the end instrument with atleast one degree of freedom, and wherein each of the one or moreadditional instrument arm assemblies is configurable to insert into theaccess port and attach to one of the anchoring portions.
 10. Thesurgical device of claim 1, further comprising one or more assistant armassemblies having a serial arrangement including a plurality ofassistant arm segments and an assistant arm joint portion connectingserially arranged assistant arm segments, wherein each assistant armjoint portion is configurable to provide an attached assistant armsegment with at least one degree of freedom, wherein each of the one ormore assistant arm assemblies is configurable to insert into the accessport and attach to one of the anchoring portions, and wherein each ofthe degrees of freedom of each of the instrument arm assemblies and theassistant arm assemblies are independently controllable.
 11. Thesurgical device of claim 1, wherein the instrument arm assembly isfurther configured to provide a force and/or haptic feedback to acomputing device.
 12. The surgical device of claim 1, wherein a lengthof the first arm section and/or second arm section is variablyadjustable in response to a command from a computing device.
 13. Thesurgical device of claim 1, wherein at least one operation of theinstrument arm assembly is controllable via wired and/or wirelesscommunication from a computing device.
 14. The surgical device of claim1, wherein an outer diameter of the port assembly is less than or equalto about 22 mm.
 15. The surgical device of claim 1, wherein an outerdiameter of the instrument arm assembly is less than or equal to about16 mm.